NFL Coordinator Adds Fuel to Dallas Cowboys No. 1 Wide Receiver Debate

An NFL coordinator said George Pickens, not CeeDee Lamb, is the No. 1 focus when game planning for Dallas Cowboys wide receivers.

Dallas Cowboys wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

CeeDee Lamb was the undisputed No. 1 wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys going into last season, but it appears he is no longer universally viewed as that guy thanks to George Pickens.

After Pickens exploded for a 1,400-yard season and finished tops among Cowboys pass-catchers, many are wondering if he is now Dallas' top receiver over Lamb going into 2026.

In an ESPN article ranking the top 10 wide receivers in the NFL based on the views of scouts, coaches and executives, Pickens and Lamb both made the cut, with Lamb landing at No. 6 and Pickens at No. 7.

However, it wasn't the rankings themselves that caught our eye, but rather the opinion of one unnamed coordinator who said that Pickens, not Lamb, is the top focus of his game plan, which will only add fuel to the aforementioned No. 1 receiver debate.

"It's Pickens," the coordinator said of who is his No. 1 concern in the game plan against Dallas' passing attack, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "He has emerged."

Another coach called Pickens "one of the best I've ever seen at the contested catch," but noted Pickens' unpredictable nature as an existing concern for the talented wideout.

"There's such untapped ability there. It's just a consistency issue and where his head's at week to week," the coach added.

One reason Pickens is even in the conversation for supplanting Lamb is the fact that the former had a career year in 2025 while the latter had a down season, which can be explained away by Lamb missing three games and exiting multiple others early.

Even still, the respect for Lamb hasn't faded in the eyes of his peers.

"With his ability to separate and make big plays, the attention he demands creates opportunities for others in the offense," said an NFC scout. "He's still on the short list of guys who give you problems consistently."

"I expect him to have a bounce-back year," one NFL coordinator stated. "He was never quite the same [last year] off that ankle injury."

Is George Pickens the Cowboys' No. 1?

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Pickens has no doubt closed the gap, we still view Lamb as the Cowboys' No. 1 receiver because one season simply isn't enough to flip the two.

Lamb is still much more established than Pickens, who had just one 1,000-yard season to Lamb's four prior to 2025. And, when combined with Pickens' unpredictable nature, we would easily consider Lamb the more reliable player.

It is also certainly worth mentioning that Lamb's three missed games due to injury and early exits from three others played a massive role in Pickens outproducing him. Furthermore, two of Pickens' best games came when Lamb was sidelined.

If Lamb plays a full season in 2026 and Pickens goes on to post superior production once again, we can certainly revisit this conversation.

But, for now, Lamb deserves the benefit of the doubt that he's still the top dog in Dallas' passing attack.